


in the comfort of blankets and sheets

by geborgenheit



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Fluff, M/M, Slice of Life, minsung if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2019-11-06 01:56:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17930597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geborgenheit/pseuds/geborgenheit
Summary: “I love you,” Hyunjin repeats again, this time followed by placing his lips on Seungmin’s and they’re kissing until Seungmin pulls back and Hyunjin tries to chase his lips again but Seungmin places his palms on Hyunjin’s chest and pushes him slightly. Hyunjin aches a little at the action, but immediately feels better when Seungmin gives him a peck on the cheek.or: domestic ""married"" seungjin au where they kiss and say i love you a lot





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Right Connections](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17576357) by [bitsori](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitsori/pseuds/bitsori). 



> hi! idk what to call this lmao i guess it's a sequel(?) or supplementary work(?) to [Right Connections](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17576357) by [bitsori](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitsori/pseuds/bitsori) although im p sure the story's still understandable even if u haven't read the og fic yet (but tbh if u havent read it, then go read it its good!!!!)  
> also idk but in case anyone's worried, i did get permission to write this and use the characters HEH  
> also (2) i just ,,, really wanted soft domestic married seungjin after it was mentioned in right connections im sorry

The bed feels a little cold when Hyunjin finally wakes up, late one morning. The male groans as he groggily feels for his boyfriend beside him, only to find the other side of the bed already empty. He thinks he should be used to it by now; after all, it’s already been a year since he and Seungmin had moved in together. 

Hyunjin shoots up from bed.  _ Right _ , he thinks; it has been exactly one year since they’d moved in, which means it’s also been exactly one year since they had had their commitment ceremony, which also means today is their anniversary. He almost panics when he realizes this, so he scrambles out of bed hastily until he remembers he should make the bed first because he now knows all too well that Seungmin gets pissed when the bed isn’t made (although Seungmin tries to hide this, living together for a year and traveling during some of those months had taught Hyunjin better). 

When he finally walks out of their bedroom and makes his way to the kitchen, he finds Seungmin by the stove. Seungmin has his back to him, and Hyunjin takes his time to admire the scene. There’s something about this simplicity, this fact that Seungmin’s only wearing a baggy pair of joggers and an oversized hoodie (Hyunjin’s hoodie), that fills Hyunjin’s heart with warmth.

He thinks he still isn’t used to all of this, to sleeping every night with Seungmin beside him, to waking up to him cooking breakfast or already sitting by the table with a cup of coffee waiting for Hyunjin. He thinks he’ll  _ never  _ get used to this, but he likes it this way. Even though this is how his days are now, it still feels new and exciting. Being in love with Kim Seungmin every day always feels new and exciting.

“Morning,” Hyunjin drawls out once he reaches Seungmin, his arms automatically wrapping around the other’s waist loosely, hugging him from the back. He rests his chin on Seungmin’s shoulder and takes a look at what he’s making, or what he’s made, rather, since Hyunjin woke up minutes too late to help Seungmin prepare breakfast. “Did you remember not to poke those pancakes with your chopsticks?” he teases. 

“Shut up,” Seungmin mutters, trying to shrug his boyfriend off. Hyunjin just giggles (he can’t believe he  _ still _ giggles at the age of twenty-eight—but whatever; this is Seungmin he’s with, anyway). He plants a kiss on Seungmin’s cheek just as the latter turns the stove off. Hyunjin finally lets go of Seungmin’s waist so he could make them coffee. He makes Seungmin’s with a lot of cream and sugar, while his a little less of both, before walking to the living room where they usually eat breakfast while watching anything on the TV.

“They sent us postcards again,” Seungmin tells him as soon as he sits down, gesturing towards the scattered mail on the coffee table. 

“Oh, great!” Hyunjin says as he excitedly picks the postcards up. 

Ever since Minho, Seungmin’s best friend for more than two decades now (and business partner), and Jisung, Minho’s boyfriend, went to London for the latter’s dream of entering art school, they’ve been sending postcards every month. They would always send five, one from Minho for the both of them and one for each of them, and one for each from Jisung as well. 

The one from Minho that’s for both of them, even the one that just arrived today, always goes like this:

_To: Mr. & Mr. Hwang_ __  
_HEY LOSERS_ _  
_ __From: Minho

This always makes Seungmin scowl. Even now, as he hands Hyunjin his postcards, Seungmin has a scowl on his face. Hyunjin just smiles as he takes them and reads the short messages from their friends.

_ To: Hyunjinnie~ _ __  
_ Hope you guys are doing well! Art school is hard, have I told you this before? But I can do this! As long as Minho-hyung’s here! Hope you guys are happy together too! I wanna visit your apartment someday. Always take care of yourselves, okay?  _ __  
_ P.S. Don’t tell Minho-hyung I told you this, but he misses Seungminnie a lot. _ _  
_ __ From: Jisungie~

Hyunjin smiles fondly. He hasn’t really known Jisung for long, but the latter was very easy to get along with, and after a few weeks of hanging out, they had grown close. Hyunjin sometimes thinks he’s even closer to Jisung now than he is to Minho, but then Minho would sometimes send him messages asking how he’s doing, or would randomly send him a photo of a cute dog he found while walking around with Jisung somewhere in London, and Hyunjin realizes that this is just how Minho  _ is _ . 

His favorite thing about the older, though, would always be how much he actually cares for Seungmin.

_ To: Hyunjin _ __  
_ Take care of each other. Make sure Seungmin doesn’t skip meals, and don’t skip your meals either. Be like Jisung, he eats five meals a day and always makes me pay. We’ll see you soon. _ __  
_ P.S. I don’t know when this card will get to you but happy anniversary! _ _  
_ __ From: The Best Hyung Ever

“Why do they keep sending us postcards?” Seungmin says as he examines the one he’s currently holding. “These take so long to arrive, and the pictures aren’t even pretty. You could've taken nicer photos.”

“That’s not true,” Hyunjin counters. He examines the one from Minho. True, the photos aren’t amazing, but these are just postcards, anyway. Besides, Hyunjin doesn’t like to think he could do better than anyone; the photographers who took those photos probably worked hard, as well.

“It  _ is  _ true, Hyunjinnie,” Seungmin points out. He raises the postcard up to show it more clearly. “You and I both know you can take better photos than… these.” He places the card down on the coffee table and sighs. “You know, you’re still bad at taking compliments, even from me. Do you... think I’m not being sincere whenever I compliment you?”

“No! Seungmin, it’s not that, it’s just...” Hyunjin trails off. Ever since he was young, he’s always been trying to make a conscious effort to not compare himself with other people; as he got older, though, he realized that he’s only really been downplaying and second-guessing himself. This is something Seungmin had helped him understand, and has been helping him overcome ever since. 

“Babe, you’ve been doing photography for years now. You should at least know when and how to acknowledge your own skills. Isn’t that why you’re doing this in the first place?” Seungmin tells him. “Anyway, I think hyung’s just purposely sending us the worst ones he could find to piss me off.”

The truth is, Hyunjin  _ does  _ think he is better than some people when it comes to a few things, but this kind of thinking usually makes him feel guilty. But... Hyunjin also believes Seungmin, because Seungmin is the realest thing in his life right now, and has been for the past few years. 

It’s also true that he had stopped modeling and tried photography instead because he had wanted to prove himself, that he could do so much more than just look pretty for other people. It didn’t even take long, though, until he had eventually fallen in love with photography—and with that one guy he’d met in the photography classes he took.

“I love you,” he suddenly says just as Seungmin decides to eat a bite of pancake—and almost chokes.

“What?” Seungmin sputters out, coughing, his hand alternating between rubbing his chest and fanning his reddening face.

Hyunjin inches closer to the other male so he could wrap his arms around him and pull him on his lap. “I love you,” he repeats, this time with a bigger smile.

“I love you, too, Hyunjinnie, but please don’t randomly blurt that out, especially when I’m eat—.”

“I love you,” Hyunjin repeats again, this time followed by placing his lips on Seungmin’s and they’re kissing until Seungmin pulls back and Hyunjin tries to chase his lips again but Seungmin places his palms on Hyunjin’s chest and pushes him slightly. Hyunjin aches a little at the action, but immediately feels better when Seungmin gives him a peck on the cheek.

“Breakfast,” Seungmin reminds him, then shoves a big piece of pancake in Hyunjin’s mouth. “Oh, by the way, Minho-hyung sent me a photo of Jisung’s new painting. Have you seen it?” Hyunjin shakes his head but Seungmin doesn’t see it because he’s already busy scrolling on his phone, Hyunjin assumes he’s trying to find the photo he’s talking about.

Hyunjin’s eyes widen when Seungmin finally finds and shows him the photo. It, Hyunjin thinks, is an oil-based painting of the Eiffel Tower at sunrise, based on the color hues. He guesses it’s the view from the hotel Minho and Jisung stayed at for their week-long trip to Paris a few months ago. “Wow,” is the only word that comes out of Hyunjin’s pancake-stuffed mouth.

“I know,” Seungmin agrees. “I bet this’d be a lot more beautiful in person, although this photo’s still a lot better than all those postcards.”

Hyunjin laughs. Jisung’s painting  _ is _ better than any of the postcards they’ve sent, but Hyunjin thinks postcards and handwritten mails or letters generally have their own charm. “Postcards are nice,” he replies. “They’re sentimental. It’s a lot more fun to look back at these in the future.”

“I guess you’re right,” says Seungmin after a sip from his coffee. The mug he’s holding right now is a gift from Jisung last year, when Hyunjin and Seungmin had held their commitment ceremony; it’s white and ceramic and has a cute caricature-like dog that looks a lot like Kkami printed on one side. Minho had bragged to them that Jisung had been the one who designed the mugs himself. Hyunjin recalls Jisung trying to clamp a hand over Minho’s mouth that time, and smiles at the memory. “Are you doing anything today?” Seungmin asks him.

Hyunjin hums, considering. He raises his own mug (a matching one) to his lips. He actually assumed that  _ they _ would be doing something today. Unless… Seungmin forgot what today is. “Are  _ you _ doing anything today?” he asks instead.

“I’m supposed to meet Woojin-hyung later,” Seungmin answers.

“Oh.”  _ Did he really forget? _

“You should rest, since you’ve been doing shoots the whole week. I’m gonna do the dishes.”

“No!” Hyunjin whines as he wraps his arms around Seungmin’s waist again. “Stay with me for a while. You can leave the dishes there.”

“I can, Hyunjin, but I won’t.” Seungmin struggles from Hyunjin’s embrace until the latter lets him go, but not until Seungmin presses a kiss on his lips. “Go back to sleep,” he tells Hyunjin before walking back to the kitchen and leaving Hyunjin alone on the couch.

There’s nothing left to do, so he gathers the postcards and the other mail on the coffee table and stacks them together, and then he walks back to their bedroom, where he lies down on the bed. He contemplates whether he should shoot Woojin a text, ask him to bail on Seungmin so the latter wouldn’t have anything else to do today. But he thinks about how Seungmin hasn’t seen Woojin in a while, and feels guilty because Seungmin probably misses his friend a lot, too.

Before he could even decide on what to do, Seungmin walks in and lies down beside him. Hyunjin suddenly has the urge to just pin him down and kiss him, and he almost does so, but when he turns to look at Seungmin, Seungmin is looking at him with such loving eyes that are full of fondness and sincerity and overflowing with words he sometimes couldn’t say.

“Happy anniversary,” Seungmin whispers, and Hyunjin smiles so wide, his eyes completely disappear. “Idiot,” Seungmin continues, “did you really think I was going anywhere without you today?” 

“So you’re taking me with you to see Woojin-hyung?” Hyunjin teases.

Despite the smile on his face, Seungmin rolls his eyes. “And risk you whining all day that I made you our third-wheel? No, thanks. I was thinking we could go out. Do you wanna go anywhere?”

“How about London?”

“What, you wanna go to art school, too?”

“No. I wanna take photos of you because my photos are better than all of those postcards they keep on sending us.”

“That would be nice,” Seungmin says with a dreamy sigh. “Let’s be a little realistic, though. How about that dog cafe?”

Hyunjin then recalls the first time they had gone to the dog cafe Seungmin is talking about. Seungmin had almost freaked out when he couldn’t find a flyer, and Hyunjin had kept on telling him they didn’t need a flyer, but the former had insisted they did. Later on, Hyunjin found out the flyer was from Jisung, and Seungmin had promised he would hand it over when they finally visit the cafe.

Hyunjin likes the idea, so he kisses Seungmin once on the lips.

“Is that a yes?” Seungmin asks him playfully.

“No,” Hyunjin answers. He reluctantly disattaches himself from his boyfriend and gets up from bed, walks towards his closet, and takes something out, before walking back to the bed where Seungmin is now sitting up. “Happy anniversary,” Hyunjin tells him, holding out two plane tickets.

“Oh, my god—what?”  Seungmin exclaims, his eyes and mouth wide open; Hyunjin finds it really cute and adorable. “You actually got plane tickets to London?”

Hyunjin nods. “I talked to Minho-hyung, too, he says it’s okay for us to stay at their place. You’ll get to see Jisung’s painting in person.”

“Hyunjin…” Seungmin looks up at him.

“Why? Wait—oh, my god—shit—I didn’t even ask you if you’re free next week—oh, no—shit—fuck—are you actually busy—?”

“Hyunjinnie,” Seungmin cuts him off, laughing. “Come here,” he pulls Hyunjin down onto the bed with him. He kisses Hyunjin slowly, sweetly, and Hyunjin thinks this feels a lot like the first time they’d kissed. But it also  _ doesn’t _ feel like the first time, because now Hyunjin kisses him back with a whole lot more certainty and a whole lot less nervousness.

When Seungmin finally pulls back, he’s smiling, and Hyunjin swears he sees a twinkle in his boyfriend’s eyes, and it looks so precious and Hyunjin just wants for it to stay there in Seungmin’s eyes, where he feels he could still get lost in even after years and years of gazing at them.

“I love you,” Seungmin  tells him. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” Hyunjin answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!
> 
> [curiouscat](http://www.curiouscat.me/straychz) // [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/gonemp4)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When he opens his eyes, he finds Seungmin smiling at him. Then the latter plants a soft kiss on his forehead. “Look,” he tells Hyunjin, “I’m happy just to be here with you, okay? Having you here with me, having you in my life—that’s already as perfect as anything else in the world can get.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Hyunjin asks Seungmin as they both move around a little under the blanket their friends have graciously provided for them.

“Yeah,” Seungmin answers, along with a soft smile. “Just… a little uncomfortable.”

Hyunjin grows a little sadder and a lot more worried as he assesses their situation once again. They’re lying on a mattress on the floor of Minho and Jisung’s spare bedroom in their temporary apartment in London, it’s already dark outside and a little chilly inside even with the heater on. It’s also, yes, a little uncomfortable lying on the floor even with the mattress Minho provided for them.

According to the older, he had actually ordered a bed frame online but it hasn’t arrived yet—which is something he said he totally didn’t expect. This isn’t a problem for Hyunjin, really, since he’s had to take naps on the bare floor before and has had to lie down on surfaces a lot more uncomfortable than this back when he was still doing his modelling gigs. But Seungmin _hasn’t had_ to do any of that in his life, and even if Seungmin said earlier that as long as the mattress is clean then it is okay for him, Hyunjin knows that Seungmin isn’t going to feel comfortable sleeping on mattresses on the floor, especially since here in London most houses don’t have floor-heating like they do in South Korea.

“I’m sorry,” Hyunjin says quietly. “I should’ve planned this trip better.”

“What are you talking about?” Seungmin asks.

“We don’t even have a bed, Seungmin. This must be really uncomfortable for you.”

“Yeah, but this isn’t our fault.”

“I know,” Hyunjin sighs. “But still…”

“Hwang Hyunjin, this is literally our first night here. We just arrived three hours ago, you can’t possibly think that things are already going wrong.”

“It’s just… this is the first trip I planned for the two of us. I want everything to be perfect.”

Their previous trip, the first one they had as a couple, just last year after their commitment ceremony, had been one of the best things ever. Seungmin was the one who’d arranged that trip and, of course, as expected, everything had gone smoothly. Hyunjin had genuinely loved that trip so much, so _naturally_ , he feels very pressured to make this trip even half as good as their previous one.  He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and tries to think that things aren’t as bad as he assumes they are. Seungmin even said so himself, he can’t possibly think that things are already going wrong, and he believes Seungmin.

When he opens his eyes, he finds Seungmin smiling at him. Then the latter plants a soft kiss on his forehead. “Look,” he tells Hyunjin, “I’m happy just to be here with you, okay? Having you here with me, having you in my life—that’s already as perfect as anything else in the world can get.”

Hyunjin almost cries there and then. Seungmin isn’t usually the cheesy, sappy, sentimental one in their relationship; that’s usually Hyunjin’s role. But right now, as they’re practically lying on the floor, he thinks maybe _this_ really is perfect.

Earlier that day, when he and Seungmin had just arrived, Hyunjin was left alone at the apartment with Minho because Seungmin and Jisung went out to get dinner. This was when Minho had told him about the bed frame (or the lack, thereof), and Hyunjin had told the older that he’s nervous _and_ worried about how Seungmin would react.  Then Minho had rolled his eyes at him and asked, “Have you _never_ noticed how Seungmin barely complains about anything when he’s with you?”

Hyunjin actually has noticed that, of course, so he’d answered, “I think he’s just a lot more comfortable with you, that’s why he can really voice out his complaints.”

Minho had bursted out in laughter at that, making Hyunjin feel a little embarrassed and wonder what it was that he’s said that’s so funny. “I’m sorry, Hyunjin,” Minho had said as soon as his laughter died down. “But how long have you two been together?”

“Three years.”

“Oh. Right. You know, sometimes I forget you two have danced around each other for _so long._ ”

“Hyung.”

“What I’m saying is, he rarely complains when he’s with you because he’s willing to sacrifice his own comfort for you. And he’s not willing to do that for me. So if _I_ had been the one who’d gotten him a room without a bed, he’d storm the fuck off and find his own hotel room. But since _it’s you…_ ” Minho shrugged. “Well, you should’ve already been able to figure that out, really.”

Now, Hyunjin thinks he’s finally figured it out—or maybe he has figured it out a long time ago, even before he and Seungmin had gotten together, because Seungmin had always tried to be patient with him even when at times he couldn’t help but get mad and annoyed at Hyunjin because of some things. Seungmin had also always been kind to him, even back when they weren’t friends yet, although he had seemed a little intimidating and uncharitable at first.

Now, staring at his boyfriend’s face, Hyunjin thinks he must really be an idiot, because _how_ can he even think that Seungmin would get mad at him for something that wasn't his fault and he had no control over?

Now, as Seungmin just stares back at him, Hyunjin is immensely thankful that he could just lean in and press his lips against the other’s as easily as he does right this moment, because there’s barely anything else that he enjoys doing as much as kissing Seungmin, nothing else he enjoys feeling against his skin than Seungmin’s soft lips and fingertips. And he pulls Seungmin closer, wraps his arms around him and lets his hands rest on his waist as Seungmin gets on top of him. Hyunjin smiles against Seungmin’s lips, pulls away just a second enough to whisper, “I love you,” before crashing their lips together again, this time a little harder.

Hyunjin is aware of the other two just outside their bedroom, even hears the laughter coming from the living room and the movie that’s playing on the TV; he vaguely notices when they stop laughing because of the doorbell ringing, but he feels like he and Seungmin are the only people present. And Seungmin is the only person that matters. So he trails adoring kisses across Seungmin’s cheeks, trails loving ones down his neck, grazes careful fingertips against the other’s bare skin under his shirt. He thinks he doesn’t have enough willpower to stop himself if they don’t stop _now_ , because Seungmin is already gasping out his name and pulling on the hem of his shirt.

He pulls away, face flushed red and panting. “Seungmin,” he breathes out. “We should rest—” But Seungmin kisses him again, longer, and Hyunjin is a goner. Honestly, he’s already been a goner ever since Seungmin agreed to go on a date with him years ago, but he’s _more_ of a goner now, if that’s even possible.

Seungmin is halfway through pulling Hyunjin’s shirt up when the door to their bedroom shoots open and the two of them abruptly pull away from each other.

“Fuck—hyung!” Seungmin exclaims. “Can’t you knock?”

Minho stands by the doorway, his hand still on the doorknob, just staring at them for a while. Then he blinks a few times. “You’re in my house,” he says finally.

“So?”

“Why should I have to knock inside my own house?”

“I—”

“We’re sorry, hyung,” Hyunjin interjects. He wills the heat on his whole face away, and wishes it isn’t as red as he feels it is. “What was it you needed?”

“Just wanted to tell you guys that—.”

“The bed frame’s here!” Jisung announces, suddenly appearing behind Minho. “Oh, wait, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Jisungie,” Minho wraps an arm around the younger, pressing a kiss to his temple, before leading him away from the door. “Let’s let these two rest; they can build the frame tomorrow,” he adds before closing the door.

“That was embarrassing,” Seungmin whispers as soon as the door closes. He plops himself back down beside Hyunjin on the mattress. “We should probably sleep.”

“That’s what I said earlier,” Hyunjin teases. “But you kissed me.”

“Excuse me?” Seungmin’s eyes shoot open. “ _You_ kissed _me_.”

“I _did_ , but I stopped and you started whining—.”

“Shut up,” Seungmin cuts him off and turns away from him, leaving Hyunjin facing his back.

Hyunjin just laughs and tries to wrap his arms around the other’s waist, but immediately gets shrugged off. “Seungminnie,” he says between laughter as he tries to wrap his arms around his waist again, “I’m sorry.” This time, Seungmin doesn’t shrug him off.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” Seungmin tells him. “You’re too old to be cute.”

“We’re the same age!”

“Exactly.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know.”

Hyunjin snorts. “You’re weird,” he points out. Not that he has a problem with it. He actually finds it cute and adorable, but he likes to tease Seungmin about it, mainly because Seungmin _lets_ him.

“Deal with it,” the other says firmly, causing Hyunjin to laugh again and wrap his arms around him tighter.

“Good night, Seungminnie,” Hyunjin whispers into his ear. “I love you, more than anything else in the world.” Seungmin doesn’t say it back; he doesn’t have to, because Hyunjin is sure that he feels the same.

  


“Slept well last night?” Minho asks as soon as Hyunjin and Seungmin walk, holding hands, into the dining room the next morning.

Hyunjin feels his face turn warm; beside him he hears Seungmin mutter, “Shut up.”

“Seungminnie!” Jisung greets. “I cooked you eggs!”

“Oh.” Seungmin seems a little taken aback. “Thanks?”

“And toast,” Jisung adds. He turns to Hyunjin, “Sorry, I didn’t know if you like these.”

“It’s good,” Hyunjin assures him with a smile. “Anything’s fine, really—actually, you didn’t have to. Thank you, Jisung.”

Jisung smiles up at him brightly, and Hyunjin can’t help but think that he looks a lot younger than both him and Seungmin, even though he’s actually even older than Seungmin for a week. Jisung then takes his seat beside Minho at the table, leaving the two seats on the other side for the other couple.

“So, where do you guys plan to go?” Minho asks them, although he’s looking at Seungmin, clearly assuming that it’s Seungmin who planned their itinerary.

Seungmin just shrugs. “I don’t know,” he answers. He takes a bite of the scrambled eggs Jisung cooked for them. “Hyunjin’s the one who planned this. Weren’t you actually involved in planning, hyung?”

“No, actually. He just asked me if you guys could stay here for a few weeks.”

Seungmin’s eyes are wide open when he turns to Hyunjin. “ _A few weeks_?” he asks. “We’re staying here that long?”

“Only if you want to,” Hyunjin answers.

“Wait,” Minho interrupts, making the others turn to him. He turns to Hyunjin first, “So _you_ planned this whole thing?” Hyunjin nods. Then Minho turns to Seungmin, “And you’re okay with this?” Seungmin nods, too. “You, Kim Seungmin, are okay with someone else planning a trip for you?”

“Why are you so surprised?” Seungmin asks him.

“Because it _is_ surprising,” Minho points out. “Would you let me plan a trip for you?” Seungmin opens his mouth to answer, but then Minho adds, “Without you meddling in?” Seungmin closes his mouth. “Thought so.”

Seungmin rolls his eyes. “And your point is?”

“You’re disgustingly in love,” the older answers simply, making both Hyunjin and Jisung, who are both conveniently sipping on coffee as the two best friends are conversing, sputter out and cough on their drinks.

“So what if I am?” Seungmin counters. Hyunjin’s face suddenly feels so warm. Seungmin speaks again, “It’s not like _you’re_ not disgustingly in love, either, hyung.”

“I’m not denying it,” Minho answers with a shrug, and Hyunjin doesn’t fail to notice the way Jisung’s face turns a little red and the corners of his lips turn up.

Hyunjin sighs. He guesses this is what he’s going to have to face everyday for the next week or so. He doesn’t mind it, though; he actually finds himself enjoying it. He places a hand on Seungmin’s knee and squeezes lightly. “I’m disgustingly in love with you, too,” he whispers in Seungmin’s ear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!
> 
> [curiouscat](http://www.curiouscat.me/straychz) // [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/gonemp4)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hyung,” Seungmin greets Minho through his phone screen.  
> “Seungminnie, what’s up? It was your niece’s birthday yesterday, right? Tell her happy birthday from the best—.”  
> “Hyung,” Seungmin repeats. “Hyunjin wants to adopt a child.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if u thought this story was over then im sorry bc im too hung up on this.  
> its a little longer than the previous chapters, and more characters are suddenly introduced. also i wanted to write hyunjin bday fic but i couldnt so,,, someone had a bday here anyway adv hbd hyunjin!!!!

Seungmin is out tonight with his boyfriend (or  _ husband _ , as Minho likes to joke sometimes when it’s just the two of them). There are a few things on  Seungmin’s to-do list for tonight, none of which have been ticked off yet, but checking out new camera models isn’t one of them, either. Yet here he is, a few feet away from Hyunjin, absently looking at cameras while waiting for him.

“When are they coming back from their trip?” Hyunjin asks as he examines a new model of camera Seungmin knows he’s interested in. 

They’re supposed to buy gifts for Seungmin’s niece today, because her birthday is about to come and Seunghee, his older sister, wants to have a small celebration with family. Naturally, Seungmin was asked to organize everything, and of course he already had everything under control even before his sister and her family left for Japan last week. There wasn’t a lot to take care of, anyway, just some reservations and making sure that the few invited people would be available and that they’d tell Seungmin if they aren’t. This was the reason why Seungmin hadn’t gotten a gift yet.

“I don’t know,” answers Seungmin. “Wednesday, I think? Or Thursday. I don’t think noona knows yet, either.”

“Oh, okay. I’m excited to see them; we haven’t seen them in a year. Jiyeon must have grown so much.”

“I know,” he agrees. He thinks it’s a little sad, too, since they don’t really live far from Seungmin’s parents and sister’s family, but they just couldn’t really find the right time, although he does call them frequently (and they always ask about Hyunjin first, which is something he understands because  _ everybody _ adores Hyunjin, including Seungmin himself  of course).

He walks over to where Hyunjin is standing, peering over his shoulder to take a look at the camera the other is chekcing out. “Are you getting this?” he asks.

“I’m not yet sure,” Hyunjin replies with a shrug. “I think I have to do more research. Maybe ask Donggun-hyung or Jaebum-hyung, too.” Donggun and Jaebum are some of the other, older photographers Seungmin and Hyunjin had met during the time they both took photography classes. 

“Did they get that same camera recently?” Seungmin asks.

Hyunjin shrugs. “I don’t know, I haven’t really seen them in a while.” He then puts the model down, grabs Seungmin’s hand, and starts leading him out the store.

They walk around for a while, trying to find anything they could think of as a gift. Normally, in times like this, Seungmin would already have something in mind to buy before actually going out to buy them. Unfortunately, he really has no idea what to get his niece, mainly because he’s sure his sister already gives Jiyeon everything she needs (and Seunghee’s husband probably gives her everything she wants, too), and Seungmin likes to be a little practical with his gifts; he wants to give people things they could actually use and would make them feel like Seungmin really put much thought into it.

“Oh, look!” Hyunjin stops in front of a boutique and points at the a display of cute, little clothes for children. “Wanna go in?”

Seungmin just nods and lets himself be led into the store. There are a lot of options for clothes inside, a lot of things to choose from, but he lets Hyunjin lead the way. Frankly, Seungmin doesn’t want to give his niece clothes that he isn’t even sure if she would like, and which she probably would grow too big for soon enough. He wants something that’ll last a little longer, especially since he doesn’t really see her that often.

“Would Jiyeon like this?” Hyunjin asks, holding up a cute little pink dress.

Seungmin frowns. “I’m not sure,” he says, and Hyunjin puts the dress back on the rack. 

For a few more minutes, they continue to look around, scouring the whole boutique, even, yet they end up with nothing. This frustrates Seungmin, of course. “I hate this,” he says, brows creased. “We should’ve thought about what to get before heading out.”

“Hey, relax,” Hyunjin tells him; he bumps Seungmin’s shoulder with his own as they walk around aimlessly again. Seungmin takes a deep breath; he hates the feeling of heading somewhere without having something to do there, but he listens to Hyunjin, because Hyunjin always knows what to say. “Just think of this as a date,” he tells Seungmin. “Sole purpose of going out is date night. If we pick out something for your niece, then that’s just a bonus.”

“Okay.” Sometimes he wonders, too, if it’s weird that he still gets heart flutters whenever they go on dates (like a teenager, Minho would always say); he thinks they’ve been together long enough to actually grow tired of each other, even, but he guesses this is just how it’s going to be for the rest of his life. He wouldn’t really mind.

“Steak?”

“Sounds good.”

“Okay, then.” Hyunjin links their arms together and leads the way again, this time towards one of their favorite restaurants to eat at. 

On the way there, they pass by a few more shops that pique their interest, but Seungmin doesn’t particularly like any of the things those shops offer, like toys, more clothes, gadgets even. He considers giving cash, but his niece doesn’t need that, either. So he resigns the thought, and decides to just focus instead on his  _ date _ with Hyunjin, which already lifts his mood up a notch.

“Maybe we can find something online,” Hyunjin suggests. “Or maybe we should ask Seunghee-noona what to get.”

“I don’t really wanna bother them while they’re still on vacation,” Seungmin replies. “Besides, we still have time to shop for gifts.”

“Right.”

“You have a shoot this Saturday, right?” Seungmin asks after a while.

Hyunjin nods. “I’m working with Jaebum-hyung, actually, and…”

“Hm?” Seungmin glances at him. “And?”

“Jinyoung-hyung.” 

“Oh.” Seungmin looks back ahead, although in the corner of his eye he could see Hyunjin still looking at him. He chooses to ignore this. “Maybe you could ask them about that camera you wanted to buy, too.”

“Yeah.” Hyunjin visibly relaxes. Seungmin doesn’t understand why Hyunjin still gets nervous at the mention of Jinyoung’s name; it’s not like Hyunjin  _ still _ has the biggest crush on the older model-turned-actor, like Seungmin knew he used to back when they’d first met… or does he? Anyway, that’s not something Seungmin wants to think about, especially since Jinyoung is already married (and they were the ones who’d organized the wedding, too).

“There are no people outside,” Hyunjin mutters when they’ve finally reached the restaurant. “There must be no waiting list or something.”

“Oh, thank god,” says Seungmin; he’s already pulling Hyunjin inside. “I’m starving.”

 

***

 

“You know, I never would’ve imagined you’d grow this fond of dogs,” Seunghee tells Seungmin. The two of them are at the balcony of their parents’ house, where’d they gone to straight after Jiyeon’s birthday celebration. “I can’t believe you gave her a dog.”

Seungmin laughs lightly, partly because of his sister’s statement, partly because  _ this _ just seems like old times, when they both were younger and weren’t too busy with their own lives yet. “I know,” he agrees. “Just… I see how happy Hyunjin is with Kkami, so I thought it would be nice for Jiyeon to have that kind of happiness, too.”

“Wow, you’ve really changed a lot, huh?” Seunghee says. Seungmin thinks that if people who don’t really know her heard her say this, they might think she comes off a little rude, but of course Seungmin knows better.

While his sister really  _ did _ use to be a little cold and distant, a lot has changed about her, too. Of course, Seungmin would never pass off the opportunity to point this out, as well, so he says, “Between the two of us,  _ you’re  _ the one who’s changed more, noona.” Seunghee smiles, then looks back towards the glass doors, and Seungmin does the same. Through the glass, he could see Hyunjin inside the house, playing with Jiyeon and her new puppy (who doesn’t have a name yet). “You wouldn’t even let me go near dogs back then,” he tells her.

“Yeah,” the older replies. “There were… so many expectations from me back then, you know? I was supposed to do well in school, take these classes and those classes and shit, attend  _ hagwon _ , go to college. Then I was supposed to take care of you, too, so I just tried to keep you from doing things.”

Seungmin nods, because he  _ does _ know. He knows his sister was doing her best and was trying to be a good daughter, student, friend, and older sister at the same time, and Seungmin knows he’s always been more than a little stubborn so he could imagine how that could’ve added to her plate.

“Then Minho came along,” she continues, “and it’s like… things gradually got lighter. I used to think he was bad company, because you started hanging out with him  _ too much _ and sometimes I couldn’t keep an eye on you. Then later on I realized, that’s not what I was supposed to be doing, keeping a close eye on you, I mean.”

“Noona, you left me alone with Minho-hyung; he was weird, you should’ve been worried.”

“Yeah, but at least he didn’t leave dishes in our sink and or leave the lights on like some of my own friends did,” she says with a scowl. Much like Seungmin, it doesn’t really take much to piss her off, although Seungmin guesses even that  _ has _ to have changed because of the changes in her life, too—including having a daughter, and now a puppy, as well.

“Noona, you’re not having a hard time, right?” he asks.

“No,” she answers right away. Her smile is fond as she looks through the glass doors, her eyes falling on Hyunjin and Jiyeon; somewhere a little further from their line of sight are their parents and Seunghee’s husband, Huitaek, talking. It makes Seungmin’s heart feel warm, too. “I mean, yes, sometimes it  _ is  _ hard,” she adds, “but it’s… really nice. I just— I’m really happy, Seungminnie.”

“That’s good.”

“You?”

“I’m happy, too.”

“Good. I’ll have Hyunjin beat up if you’re not happy.”

“Please,” Seungmin scoffs. “You all love Hyunjin more than me. Except Minho-hyung, I think he at least  likes me more.”

“Well, yes, of course.” She rolls her eyes. “Minho doesn’t like anyone else except you and Woojin. And apparently his boyfriend. How are they, by the way? You’ve gone to their place, right?”

“Yeah. They’re doing great, actually. Jisung, Minho’s boyfriend, goes to art school there.”

“Oh. I’d like to meet this Jisung, if he’s really changed Minho that much.”

“I think you’d  get tired because of his… energy.”

“I have a five-year-old, Seungmin-ah, I can handle  _ energy _ by now.”

“A five-year-old  _ and _ Huitaek-hyung.”

“Oh, god, yes,” Seunghee sighs. “He spoils her so much, it stresses me out sometimes.” Seungmin laughs, not doubting what his sister had just said. “You know,” she continues, “I bet Hyunjin’s the type to spoil your children, too.”

“Excuse me?” Seungmin turns to look at her. “We don’t have children.”

“Well,  _ duh _ , of course you don’t have children. I’m saying in the future, when you’re gonna have children, or just a child if you don’t want a lot.”

Seungmin stays silent for a while, just staring at her.

“Why?” she asks. “Don’t you want to adopt children? I mean, I guess it’s not  _ that _ ideal since you can’t adopt as a unit, but at least one of you can, so…”

“I…” Seungmin starts. He’d be lying if he’d say the thought hasn’t occurred to him at least once, but he’d never really let himself delve deep into it. In all honesty, he thinks that  _ ‘getting married’  _ to Hyunjin in a country like theirs is already a big risk, if one would put it that way. Adoption, and actually starting a family, isn’t really something he lets himself fantasize about. “I haven’t thought— we haven’t talked about stuff like that yet.”

“Oh.” Seunghee nods slowly. “Well, look at him, though.” Naturally, Seungmin does turn to look at Hyunjin again. “Maybe it’s time to talk about it, you know? Oppa actually knows someone who could help,” she adds. “Anyway, I should go back in; it’s way past Jiyeon’s bedtime.” When she reaches the door, she turns back to Seungmin, “You should get inside, too, it’s pretty chilly, you might catch a cold.”

Seungmin smiles and nods, knowing full well that this is more of a command than a suggestion. Before he enters the house, he takes a few seconds to look at Hyunjin, playing with his niece and a puppy, and maybe… it really  _ is  _ time to talk about some things.

 

Seungmin shifts in his bed, snuggling closer to Hyunjin, who’s hugging his waist from behind. It’s been literal years since he’d last slept in his old bedroom in this house, and he must admit that being back there after quite a long time  feels nostalgic. 

“You know,” Hyunjin whispers in his ear. “I’ve always hated how your bed isn’t too small for two people.”

“What?” answers Seungmin. “Why?”

“I couldn’t justify cuddling, the first few times I slept over.”

Seungmin smiles at the memories. He recalls the very first time Hyunjin had stayed the night; it was more than five years ago, maybe around when they’d only known each other for a year. They had been assigned to work on a project together. They’d done an actual photoshoot inside Seungmin’s bedroom (Hyunjin was the subject, of course), and for some reason it had taken them late into the night, that Hyunjin had missed the last bus going back to his place. Of course, Seungmin, being the nice person he claims he is, had invited him to sleep over.

He remembers the two of them being too conscious about their sides of the bed, but they’d ended up cuddling in the end, because when Seungmin had woken up the next day, his arms were around Hyunjin’s waist and his head was practically on his chest. As soon as he’d realized the situation, though, he almost pushed Hyunjin off the bed. 

Seungmin winces at  _ this _ particular memory, and feels warmth suddenly creep up his face. It still makes him feel flustered and embarrassed, even after all these years and everything that has already happened between them. 

“Seungminnie, can I tell you something?” Hyunjin suddenly asks. Seungmin hums, barely audibly. “I... want to adopt a child.”

Seungmin’s eyes flew open, thankful that he isn’t facing the other right now, but he shuts them again nonetheless. He wishes that his heartbeat isn’t suddenly too fast, or that Hyunjin is already too tired and sleepy to notice.

“Seungminnie?” Hyunjin whispers again. This time, Seungmin doesn’t answer. “Did you fall asleep?” he sighs. “You must have fallen asleep. Good night, Seungmin. I love you.”

 

***

 

Seungmin listens to the ringback from the other line, waiting for his friend to answer his call. He’d gone home today after having breakfast with his family, while Hyunjin went straight to his photoshoot. Now, alone at home, there was plenty of time for Seungmin to think and do research about adoption, but instead of doing that he decides to phone his friend, who thankfully finally answers.

“Hyung,” Seungmin greets Minho through his phone screen.

“Seungminnie, what’s up? It was your niece’s birthday yesterday, right? Tell her happy birthday from the best—.”

“Hyung,” Seungmin repeats. “Hyunjin wants to adopt a child.”

“Oh,” Minho answers. He blinks, and even though the connection of their video call is not too stable, Seungmin is still able to tell the number of times the older just blinked at him (four times). Then, a little louder this time, as if he’d just realized what Seungmin had actually said. “ _ Oh. _ ”

“Hyung, is that Seungmin?” Jisung’s voice suddenly booms. He finally appears beside Minho, holding up a plate of pastries Seungmin recognized were from the street market they’d gone to a lot when he and Hyunjin went to London just a few months ago. “Seungminnie! How are you? I miss you! Where’s Hyunjin?”

“Jisung, please don’t scream, I can already hear you clearly,” Seungmin says, wincing and taking out one of his earphones. “Hyunjin has a photoshoot.”

“Again? Wow, he’s pretty busy. Is he working with someone big?” 

“ _ Someone big _ ?”

“You know, like, celebrities. You guys are in that, sort of, elite circle of rich kids in Gangnam, right?”

Seungmin stares at him for a few seconds, wondering what the fuck has Minho been telling him. Then he catches Minho’s eyes, and it mirrors the same look Seungmin himself has. “No, Jisung,” he answers. “We’re not.”

“Oh.”

“But Hyunjin is… working with Jinyoung-hyung,” Seungmin adds, this time purposely avoiding Minho’s eyes, though, but the older has always really been quick to catch. 

“Jinyoung?” Jisung echoes. “You mean, Park Jinyoung, the actor? As in,  _ He-Is-Psychometric _ Jinyoung? Not the old one?”

Seungmin nods.

“That’s so cool!”

“Yeah,” Seungmin mumbles. He thinks sometimes he forgets that Jisung isn’t part of their…  _ initial _ social circle, and that he isn’t used to some of the things Seungmin and Minho already are—which really isn’t a problem to Seungmin, it’s just that sometimes people making a big deal out of him casually mentioning, say, a celebrity’s name makes him a little uncomfortable. But  _ that _ isn’t what’s making him slightly uncomfortable at the moment.

“It’s not that cool,” Minho tells Jisung, and Seungmin is thankful at how perceptive his best friend is. This also reminds him of how much he actually misses Minho, but he’s not going to tell Minho that. “I look much better than  _ that _ Jinyoung.”

Jisung scoffs. “You mean, the  _ old  _ Jinyoung, right?” This at least makes Seungmin laugh, and he’s reminded again of how he thinks Jisung is really good for Minho. Jisung turns to Seungmin, “So what’s up?”

Before Seungmin could answer, Minho speaks. “Seungmin said Hyunjin wants to adopt—,” he tries to fill him in, but Seungmin tries to cut him off, too.

“Hyung!” 

“Adopt what?” Jisung aks. “A dog? A cat? Cats are cute.”

“A child,” Minho says simply, like  _ adopting a child _ is not a big deal and a huge step in Seungmin and Hyunjin’s relationship, which Seungmin isn't yet sure if he’s ready for. 

“Thanks, hyung,” Seungmin mumbles.

Jisung’s face lights up, though, and he’s smiling wide when he asks, “For real?”

“Yes,” Minho confirms.

“Oh, my god— Congratulations?! That’s exciting news!”

“It is,” Minho agrees, which is something Seungmin didn’t exactly expect.

“Seungminnie, I’m really happy for you and Hyunjin!” Jisung tells him, and even just through their phone screens, Seungmin could tell the earnestness in Jisung’s voice and face. “Anyway, sorry, I gotta go now. I need to finish something for school,” Jisung adds, handing over the pastries to Minho. “Hyung, this is for you; the rest that’s left are mine.” He kisses Minho’s cheek then turns to Seungmin, “Bye, Seungminnie! Say hi to Hyunjin and Park Jinyoung-nim for me!”

“Can you believe Seunghee-noona wants to meet him?” Seungmin tells Minho once Jisung is gone. 

“Really?” Minho asks. Seungmin nods. “We’ll have to settle that when we get back, then.”

“When are you coming back, hyung?”

“Why? You miss me that much?”

“You wish,” Seungmin scoffs. “A friend of noona’s is planning to get married; apparently, she and her boyfriend were both present during noona’s wedding, and they want something similar to that. They’re asking if we could offer our services.”

“Oh,” Minho nods. “So you don’t miss me?” Seungmin scowls at his friend, whom he really does miss a lot. “Okay, then. I don’t miss you, either, anyway.”

“Whatever.”

“So… you okay?” Minho asks suddenly, and Seungmin looks at him questioningly. “Are you still jealous of that Jinyoung-hyung?”

“Wait— what do you mean,  _ still _ ?” Seungmin replies. “I was never jealous of him, okay? I was pissed at him because he was good at everything. That’s different. And I don’t feel that way anymore.”

“Okay.”

Seungmin sighs. “Maybe a little,” he admits. “But it’s not a big deal, hyung.”

“Right, of course it’s not a big deal. The big deal is you’re planning to adopt a child.”

“Hyung, we’re  _ not  _ planning to adopt,” Seungmin explains. And then, adds, “Yet.”

“Okay,” Minho nods slowly. “And why’s that?”

“You know how people view adoption here, right? There’s a lot to consider and do some research on. We also need to consider the kind of life the adopted child would live.”

“Okay, Kim Seungmin. First of all, the  _ adopted child _ shall be addressed as  _ your child _ if you ever decide to do it. Second, you’re getting too worried over this. Third, you should talk to Hyunjin about this, okay, stop pretending to be asleep. And fourth… you know you have my support, right?”

Seungmin breathes in deeply and lets it out slowly. He knows Minho is right, and he believes Minho supports him, too. He guesses, just, now more than ever, he wishes Minho were actually there. Not that he’d ever tell Minho that, too, though.

“Seungminnie,” Minho says again after a few moments. “Whether you want it too or not, you should tell Hyunjin, yeah?” 

“Yeah,” the younger nods. “Thanks, hyung.”

“What was that?”

“Thanks.”

“I didn’t hear it clearly.”

“Not my problem. Bye.”

“Hey—.”

Seungmin ends the call.

 

Seungmin waits for Hyunjin to come home that day, determined to talk about it whatever happens. Apparently, Hyunjin was already expecting they would be talking about it, thanks to a certain art student.

“Seungmin,” Hyunjin greets him when he gets home, placing a kiss on the top of his head, before sitting down next to him on the couch.

“Hey,” Seungmin greets back. He thinks Hyunjin looks really good with his wind-swept hair, black graphic shirt, and skinny jeans, and he almost forgets that he wants to talk to him about something instead of wanting to just kiss him senseless.

“Hey, uh…” Hyunjin sighs. “Did you tell Jisung, uh, something? Because he sent me a message earlier congratulating the two of us.”

“What? Han Jisung—!”

“Yeah.  _ ‘Hyunjinnie! Congrats to you and Seungmin for adopting or planning to adopt a son or daughter,’ _ ” Hyunjin read from his phone.

“Han fucking Jisung…” Seungmin mumbles.

“So… you really weren’t asleep last night?”

“I’m sorry, Hyunjin, I—.”

“Babe, it’s okay. It was a little sudden, too, I know. It’s probably just because your parents made me drink too much wine for my tolerance.”

“You know what’s funny? Noona and I actually talked about it a little, too, while we were in the balcony last night. Then you mentioned it, too, and I just felt a little… pressured, I guess?”

“Seungminnie,” Hyunjin scoots closer and cups Seungmin’s face. “Just because I said I want to adopt a child, doesn’t mean I wanna do it immediately.” He kisses the tip of Seungmin’s nose. “I know there’s a lot to worry about if we ever really end up adopting, a lot of research and consulting other people, too, but I just want you to know that if you ever want to, then I’m up for it. If you don’t, then it’s not a problem.”

Seungmin nods. “Thank you,” he whispers, and Hyunjin kisses him on the lips this time, slow and sweet. “Hyunjinnie,” Seungmin says when they pull apart. “I  _ do  _ want to.”

“Wait— Really?”

“Yes.”

Hyunjin beams at him and wraps him in a tight hug. “Oh, my god— Seungminnie, we’re gonna be parents!” he exclaims, and Seungmin couldn’t help but laugh along and smile until his own cheeks hurt. 

“We are,” he agrees, and Hyunjin kisses him again, longer this time, and Seungmin savors the feeling of Hyunjin’s lips on his and his arms around him; he really likes how they’re both smiling into the kiss, and he just feels extremely happy at how exciting everything about this actually, really is. He thinks, next to  _ ‘marrying’ _ Hyunjin, this is probably the best decision he’s ever made.

“I love you,” Hyunjin whispers into his lips when they part for a few seconds, just enough for Seungmin to whisper back, “I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!
> 
> [curiouscat](http://www.curiouscat.me/straychz) // [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/gonemp4)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still, coming home to Seungmin everyday is infinitely better than anything else the world has to offer -- yet another one of those things he isn’t entirely sure he deserves but will never have the heart to turn down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unbeta'd unedited word vomit i wrote in between falling asleep the entire day ugh im sorry

Hyunjin finds Seungmin sleeping on the couch when he arrives home, late one evening. Pages of paper lie unusually messy around him and his laptop is left open on the coffee table

He smiles at the sight and walks to the couch to arrange the scattered paper, checking if the pages are numbered, careful not to mess any of it up. Once he’s stacked them up nicely and placed them on the coffee table, he sits on the couch beside Seungmin and scoots closer, wrapping tired arms around his waist.

“Hey, babe,” he whispers in Seungmin’s ear, and Seungmin stirs. “How are you?”

“Hyunjinnie,” Seungmin greets. “I’ve missed you.”

“You did?” Hyunjin teases. His smile grows wider when Seungmin just nods in response, lips pouting and eyes still closed in his half-asleep state. Normally, Seungmin wouldn’t act this clingy, especially if he’s wide awake, but Hyunjin is silently thankful this is what he came home to.

He’d been gone the whole week for a photoshoot gig in Jeju, where he worked with a group of mostly older photographers, some of which he’s friends with, too. It had been a nice week, actually; a whole day had been allotted for a sightseeing trip before they even needed to start the shoot; another day had been allotted for  _ recreational activities _ , where Hyunjin got a whole day to himself and he just went around the nearby places, snapping photos. Work wasn’t that hard, either; the models and the staff of the magazine they’d shot for were nice and the other photographers were really helpful and were really great and easy to work with, too.

Hyunjin knows not everyone has it as _lucky_ as he does, so he's really grateful for the type of work he got to do and, really, what more could he ask for? There have been so many -- _too_ _many_ , even -- opportunities laid down for him to take and he’s never really been sure he deserves it but who is he to turn them down, anyway? He’d been offered a lot, and he’d gratefully received them, always with a full heart and always remembering to acknowledge the privilege he’s always been given.

_ Still _ , he thinks, coming home to Seungmin everyday is infinitely better than anything else the world has to offer -- yet another one of those things he isn’t entirely sure he deserves but will never have the heart to turn down.

“I’ve missed you, too,” Hyunjin says. He tightens his hold around Seungmin’s waist and pulls him closer, as if this sudden realization might just cause Seungmin to disappear.

In his arms, Seungmin stirs. “You were gone for so long,” he mumbles. “ _ Too long. _ ” 

“I know, I’m sorry.” Hyunjin kisses him on the forehead and pulls him along as he lies down on the couch until they’re squeezing themselves against each other in an attempt to fit in the couch. Hyunjin likes it better this way, though; he really likes -- loves -- it when Seungmin snuggles really close and places his head on Hyunjin’s chest and wraps his arms around Hyunjin’s torso, sharing body heat and warmth. 

“Did you eat dinner yet?” Hyunjin asks. 

“No,” the younger says softly; Hyunjin would’t have heard it if their faces weren’t too close to each other’s.

“Why? Were you waiting for me?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

“Idiot, of course I was waiting for you.”

“Oh.” Hyunjin giggles, kisses the tip of Seungmin’s nose. “What were you doing, anyway?”

“Research. You said you wanted to adopt.”

Hyunjin perks up at this; he didn’t think Seungmin would take it  _ this _ seriously, to the point where he’d stay up at night reading stuff about it, but Hunjin should’ve known, really, because Seungmin never does anything half-heartedly. He smiles. “You should get some sleep,” he tells Seungmin.

“I was asleep,” Seungmin replies, groaning. “You woke me up.”

“Sorry. Let’s get to the bed?”

Instead of standing up like Hyunjin expected him to, Seungmin just hugs him tighter and snuggles even closer. “I’m hungry,” he whines, his voice high and nasally.

Laughing, Hyunjin says, “You’re half-asleep and you want to eat? What do you want to eat?”

“I don’t know. Anything.”

“Okay. I’ll order food, let me get my phone.” Hyunjin tries to get up, but Seungmin doesn’t move his head from on top of Hyunjin’s chest and doesn’t loosen his hold around him, either. “Seungminnie, I can’t reach my phone.” 

“Not my problem.”

Hyunjin laughs at his boyfriend, unsure of where the clinginess comes from, but won’t complain about it, either. “I’ve missed you so much, you know?” he says instead; Seungmin hums in response, which makes Hyunjin smile. “Whenever I saw something pretty, my first thought was always you. ‘This would look good on Seungmin.’ ‘I wish Seungmin could see this.’ ‘I wish I could take a picture of Seungmin here.’” He sighs, staring up at the ceiling. He can feel the rise and fall of Seungmin’s chest, something that’s already as familiar as the rise and fall of his own chest, something he so achingly missed the past week. “You’ve probably been to all those places before,” he continues. “You’ve probably seen all those beautiful sights-- I know I have before, but… I really wish we could go there together, too.”

“Of course, we could,” Seungmin suddenly says, startling Hyunjin, who’d thought he was already asleep. “We could go there anytime you like.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

They stay there for a while, Hyunjin almost falling asleep and forgetting they have a bed, and actually forgetting about having to order dinner. Before he really falls asleep, though, Seungmin speaks.

“Seunghee-noona called earlier, you know?” he tells Hyunjin, voice soft and barely over a whisper. Hyunjin almost doesn’t catch what he says. “She said we can schedule a meeting with Hwitaek-hyung’s friend. I forgot the name, but noona gave me his contact details.”

It takes a full minute for Hyunjin to realize  _ why _ in the world they might need to schedule a meeting with Seungmin’s brother-in-law’s friend, then it hits him. It’s the friend Seunghee was talking about who could help them with the adoption process. This wakes him up entirely.

“That’s great!” he says; then, when Seungmin doesn’t answer right away, he adds, “Right?” Seungmin finally props himself up on his elbow to look at Hyunjin. He smiles, and Hyunjin thinks he still looks beautiful even when he’s tired and sleep-deprived, and that starting a family with him is probably the best thing life can ever offer him.

“I love you,” Seungmin says. It’s so tender and simple, so mundane now and so familiar. People say repeating words over and over makes the words lose their meaning, and yet those words coming from Seungmin’s mouth still make Hyunjin feel something stir in his stomach, still make his heart skip a beat, still bring a wide smile onto his face, still hold as much meaning as they did when Seungmin first told him the same exact words -- if not ever more. 

“I love you, too,” Hyunjin says it back with all his sincerity. Then Seungmin brings his face closer and kisses him long and sweet, until Hyunjin feels teardrops on his face. “Are you crying?” he asks. “Babe, why are you crying?”

“I don’t know,” Seungmin laughs, letting Hyunjin wipe his tears. “I just--,” he sighs. “I just really love you, I guess.”

This time, it’s Hyunjin’s turn to initiate the kiss. He kisses Seungmin a little harder, letting his tongue slide in the other’s mouth, wrapping arms around his waist and pulling him on top. Hyunjin  _ really _ loves Seungmin, too, and tonight he thinks he could say through kisses and soft caresses just exactly how much he does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading !!
> 
> [curiouscat](http://www.curiouscat.me/straychz) // [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/gonemp4)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I love you,” Hyunjin continues. His voice sounds so gentle and so tender, yet so firm and secure. His eyes look glassy as they look at Seungmin with all the love in the world. “You’re still the best thing that’s ever happened to me — you’ll always be the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Nothing can change that, yeah? Not even this country’s marriage and adoption laws.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is brought to u by Me and My Stupid Dumb Ass i shouldve done more research before writing the previous chapter and for that i am genuinely truly very sorry

Seungmin doesn’t know how he’d missed it. He doesn’t know how it was possible for him to have missed it. He just doesn’t know how he could’ve been _this fucking_ dumb.

Maybe it was because he’d been a little too excited. Maybe because the thought of starting an actual family with the love of his life had been way too appealing, that his brain actually chose to hyperfocus only on the things that he wanted.

And now it’s taking too much of a toll on him and on Hyunjin, and Seungmin’s afraid it would take too much of a toll on their relationship, too.

 

A few days ago, Seungmin had scheduled an appointment with Seo Eunkwang, the social worker Seunghee’s husband is friends with. Seungmin and Hyunjin were both elated and excted that day, only to have their moods popped when Eunkwang had  told them, “I’m _really, really_ sorry, I should’ve cleared things up beforehand.” And that had been when Seungmin had immediately realized there must’ve been something he’d missed.

“I thought, when Hwitaekie told me his brother-in-law needed help with adoption, he already knew…” Eunkwang continued; he at least seemed genuinely apologetic about delivering the news, and it helped appease Seungmin even just slightly. “That’s why I’d assumed Seungmin-ssi here is married, legally in South Korea, to someone of the opposite gender. You aren’t allowed to adopt. The adoption laws in South Korea don’t allow unmarried individuals to adopt. You might be married, but that’s still not recognized by the laws we need to follow here.”

“Oh,” Hyunjin had managed to let out. “Oh.”

“I’m really sorry, Seungmin-ssi, Hyunjin-ssi. I really didn’t meant for there to be a misunderstanding. And I truly do not have any prejudice against the both of you, it’s just really what’s needed to be followed.”

“We understand, Eunkwang-ssi,” Seungmin had replied with a polite smile. “I should’ve known, really.”

Eunkwang had then proceeded on to apologize once again, and both Seungmin and Hyunjin couldn’t have possibly found it in them to be even a bit mad at the social worker, because he’d been nothing but polite and truly apologetic for the minor misunderstanding, which Seungmin thinks is his own fault anyway.

 

So now here he is, sitting in his living room, flipping through channels on the TV, waiting for Hyunjin to come home from his shoot.

It’s been a few days since they’d found out they wouldn’t be adopting, and they haven’t really addressed it yet, but Seungmin knows Hyunjin is very sad about it. Understandable, Seungmin thinks, because he himself is definitely sad about it, too, considering he’d actually been a little less excited than Hyunjin had been.

Hyunjin has been nothing but pleasant, though, and he’s never given any indication that he’s even slightly mad at Seungmin. Still, Seungmin can’t help but think that this is the one thing he’s ever failed Hyunjin, and this thought really makes him feel too down, so when Seungmin suddenly gets a call from him, he almost hesitates to answer.

_Almost._

“Hyunjin?” he greets. “Aren’t you at work?”

“Hey,” Hyunjin answers from the other line. “We just got done.”

“Oh.”

“You wanna go out for dinner?”

“Oh, I—.”

“Oh, wait, have you already cooked dinner?” Hyunjin interrupts, slight worry in his tone, and Seungmin can’t help but smile because he can already imagine how his partner’s eyes would widen for a second and how his brows would then furrow. “Sorry.”

“No, I haven’t yet, actually,” Seungmin assures. “I was gonna say I’d love to.”

“Oh! Great! Meet me downstairs?”

“Sure— wait, you’re downstairs?”

“Yeah,” Hyunjin says with a chuckle. “I’m in my car. Come on.”

“Shit, wait, okay, I’m just gonna get changed.”

“‘Kay, bye. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

 

Dinner was great. Really great. Just as great as any other time Seungmin had dinner with Hyunjin, which is actually all the time. But now Seungmin’s alone again; this time, in their bedroom, waiting for Hyunjin to finish showering so they could cuddle and maybe talk a bit before falling asleep. 

And still Seungmin couldn’t help but think about how sad Hyunjin must still be about the failed adoption. So now, when it’s Minho’s name that pops up in Seungmin’s caller ID, he doesn’t hesitate even for a second before he’s answering.

“Hyung,” he breathes out. He doesn’t even realize how much of a relief it really is, being able to finally talk to his best friend after a week or so.

“Seungminnie,” it’s Jisung’s voice that _loudly_ greets Seungmin’s ear first. Normally, he’d be pissed at someone yelling directly in his ear, but he strangely he now finds comfort in hearing Jisung’s loud greetings (yet, of course, another thing Seungmin would never be telling anyone, especially not his best friend and his best friend’s boyfriend).

“Hey, Jisung,” he greets with a smile, even though no one could see. “How’ve you guys been?”

“We’ve been good! We’re actually— hey! Hyung—!”

“Sorry.” Minho’s voice finally sounds, and Seungmin’s smile grows a little wider. After all, it’s Minho whom he’s been best friends with for more than a decade, not Jisung. “How are you?”

“Sad,” Seungmin answers.

“I figured. How’s Hyunjin?”

“Probably sadder.”

“Great. And what are we gonna about that?”

Seungmin sighs. “Talk to him,” he says after a few seconds.

“Right,” the older agrees. “I can’t believe you need me to call you from the other side of the world just to remind you that.”

“Shut up.”

“You just miss me, don’t you?”

“I don’t.”

“Yeah, of course you won’t tell me that,” Minho says, and Seungmin has to roll his eyes because he can clearly imagine the smirk on his friend’s pretty face. Seungmin wants to smack him, but he also kind of wants to hug him for a second or two.

He really does miss Minho a lot.

He was actually, really, genuinely contemplating whether he should tell Minho he misses him, even jokingly, when he hears Hyunjin’s footsteps. “Wait, hyung, Hyunjin’s done showering.”

“Didn’t need to know that, but okay.”

“Bye. I’ll call you again later, or tomorrow.”

“Or never. Bye.” And Minho hangs up just as soon as Hyunjin walks into the room.

“Was that Minho-hyung?” Hyunjin asks.

“Yeah,” Seungmin replies. “He was asking how you’ve been doing.”

“Please tell him I’ve been doing great, thank you very much.”

Seungmin waits for the other to walk to their bed and sit down, before asking, “Really?”

Hyunjin looks at him quizzically. “What do you mean, ‘really?’”

“Have you really been doing great?”

“Why would I not—?” Hyunjin stops mid-sentence. “Oh,” he then lets out softly. “Seungmin—.”

“I’m sorry,” Seungmin blurts out before he could stop himself. “I should’ve known sooner. I should’ve found out about it sooner, I was so dumb. How could I have missed it? God— fuck, how could I have missed it?”

“Seungmin, it’s not your fault.”

“I was doing research about it, but I missed that one stupid catch. I just—.” Seungmin lets out a shaky breath, trying to find the words to say. “I guess I just really wanted to have that, with you, too.”

 “Hey,” Hyunjin says, softly. He brings his fingers to Seungmin’s chin and raises his head a little until they’re seeing eye to eye.

“Just… the idea of having a family with you, of being that level of complete with my favorite person…” Seungmin sighs. “I just really wanted that. I’m sorry.”

“Seungminnie,” Hyunjin whispers, a soft smile playing on his lips. “You don’t have to say sorry, it’s not your fault. And you know, as long as I’m with you, I’ll always feel complete.”

Seungmin just looks at him, on the verge of tears, and he feels a little stupid and dumb, but also so full of love and adoration for the person sitting in front of him and he’s afraid that he might just burst right then and there. But Hyunjin holds his hands tightly, and Seungmin is thankful — _oh, so thankful_ — that Hyunjin is always there to hold him together, to keep him grounded when things don’t go as planned, to help him realize that there’s always beauty in every situation, to remind him that love is always there and will never be gone, and that he’ll always, always feel complete just as long as they’re together.

“I love you,” Hyunjin continues. His voice sounds so gentle and so tender, yet so firm and secure. His eyes look glassy as they look at Seungmin with all the love in the world. “You’re still the best thing that’s ever happened to me — you’ll _always_ be the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Nothing can change that, yeah? Not even this country’s marriage and adoption laws.”

“ _You’re_ the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Seungmin replies.

Hyunjin kisses him lightly. “I love you,” he says. 

“I love you, too,” Seungmin whispers back. “So much.”

And he closes the gap between them. He kisses Hyunjin with as much love and tenderness as he can muster, and he wants Hyunjin to know that nothing can ever change that, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK first im sorry but i rly want to talk abt this lol just dont read the notes u dont have to anw just skip to below the asterisks. i just wanna get this out for some reason  
> i once watched a clip of btob long ago talking abt naming their future children or smth but sadly i cant find it rn but in that clip Seo Eunkwang (leader and eldest) said he was really actually considering adoption in order to race awareness or smth like that, wc in turn led me to think he it was permitted for single individuals to adopt. i did a little research when i wrote the previous chapter but alas it wasnt enough research and now here we are..... lol jk but that being said here are the websites i found with the criteria(?) for adoption: [(1)](https://aacadoption.com/programs/korea-program/requirements-korea.html) and [(2)](https://www.holtinternational.org/adoption/criteria.php)  
> also, here are a few articles i read some time ago that kinda rly helped clear some things up for me, jic u wanna read them too. i suggest u do bc its p interesting altho also p saddening but yeah here they are: [(1)](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30692127), [(2)](https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2015/05/27/why-adoptions-are-so-rare-in-south-korea), [(3)](https://www.korea4expats.com/article-Korean-law-limiting-foreign-adoptions.html)  
> again sorry if there was misinformation or smth i rly didnt mean it and ik i shouldve done better research before writing the previous chapter sry for that as well and from now on i shall be even more mindful of the themes and topics i include in fic esp since im writing for a different country/culture than mine.  
> lmao if u took time to read this note thank u so much!!!!
> 
> ***
> 
> but also thanks for reading the fic too! might actually rly be the last chapter of this fic idk,,,, so thanks sm for reading!
> 
> [curiouscat](http://www.curiouscat.me/straychz) // [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/gonemp4)


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